poliphilo scratches a fifty-year old itch of mine.
The Franchise Affair repulsed me when I was fourteen. It all felt basically *unfair* somehow, but I couldn't say why. Now I know. 'Hysteric', yes indeed. It's an hysteric book.
(Am not fond of Tey's mysteries anyway. Daughter of Time struck me as special pleading and cherry-picking combined. Must consider that the antipathy is all from her characters.)